‘Couldn’t get any clear answers.’ Inside David Tepper’s split from Eastland project
Concerns that Tepper Sports and Entertainment would not follow through on plans to build a youth academy and soccer fields at the old Eastland Mall site arose at least a month before the decision became public, city officials confirmed.
Assistant City Manager Tracy Dodson told The Charlotte Observer conversations about the project between the city and TSE began to slow down after May. Councilman Malcolm Graham, chair of the City Council’s economic development committee, said he began to feel concerned about TSE’s commitment in late April or early May.
Around that time, Graham said he “couldn’t get any clear answers” from city staff regarding details of TSE’s planning. He added that the lack of transparency brought with it a sense of shock among some residents when the deal fell through. The bulk of TSE’s deal, including progress, reporting benchmarks and other details, were private, Graham said.
Much of that work should have been conducted in public committee meetings, he said.
Dodson said there was a lack of concrete planning as the project moved on throughout the spring and into summer.
“It wasn’t like (there was) a day where they were like, ‘Hey we’re out,” she said. “It was more of, ‘We don’t know what we want.’”
Eventually, the city told TSE that the project had to move on “with or without” its involvement, Dodson said.
“We got to the point of the hard conversations,” Dodson said.
The news that TSE would not be part of the project became public last week. The story was first reported by Axios Charlotte.
A representative from TSE didn’t respond to a request for comment by Tuesday. In a previous statement, the group said, “After a great deal of consideration, the timeline for the Eastland project posed challenges that led us to research expedited alternatives.” TSE added it’s continuing “discussions with the city of Charlotte as we work towards driving economic engagement through sports and live entertainment.”
What’s in store for Eastland
The city of Charlotte bought the property in 2012 after the once-thriving mall closed. The property has sat mostly vacant since. A large flea market used the space until last year, when the vendors were evicted after the market manager’s contract with the city expired.
The city planned to develop the space into retail, green space, housing and the location for Charlotte FC’s academy headquarters. David Tepper, the owner of the Carolina Panthers, also owns Charlotte FC, the city’s professional soccer team.
Tepper Sports planned to occupy about 11% of the space, with 22 acres set to house Charlotte FC’s academy complex, the Observer previously reported. That included plans for two large fields for the academy and several other fields for public use.
Dodson said the city is exploring multiple other options now that Tepper’s organization is out. That includes inquiries that came in while TSE’s proposal was believed to be moving forward.
Other amateur sports proposals are among those the city is reviewing, she said.
Concerns about the process
Graham told the Observer how the deal fell apart could dilute public trust.
Graham said he would’ve preferred the process be handled at least partially in City Council committee meetings that are open to the public and the press.
“Any time that someone is coming to the public looking for public support and resources, they should make their case in public,” he said, acknowledging that some details have to be hammered out in private.
“It’s basic communication 101,” he said.
He added that the City Council should take lessons from the deal. Primarily, he said, the controversy that came with the deal’s secrecy could have been mitigated by having some discussions in public.
Councilwoman Dimple Ajmera said the city remains committed to finding a replacement that meets the hopes of nearby residents.
“There’s a lot at stake here. We are talking about broken promises for over a decade now,” she said. “It’s time that we deliver on the promises that we made to the community.”
This story was originally published August 3, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
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